Kanye West Makes Impassioned Speech About Changing the World on ‘Ellen’

Kanye West appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in an attempt to do some light, simple album promo. But things turned heavy quickly when he answered a simple question about Twitter ("Have you ever regretted anything that you've tweeted?") into a seven-minute long diatribe about changing the world that both stunned DeGeneres and her audience into silence.

"I feel that if I had more resources, I could help more people," Kanye said in earnest after DeGeneres referenced a tweet the rapper had posted requesting investment money from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

"I have ideas that can make the human race existence within our 100 years better. Period. F—k the paparazzi, whatever perception you have of me, starting with the truth, starting with what everyone's thinking — start there, put some dope s--t with it,” he continued.

From there, West touched on several subjects: His parents, creativity, synesthesia, the #Oscarssowhite controversy. Despite the variation, he launched seamlessly from one topic to the next, making for an engrossing speech.

"Picasso is dead, Steve Jobs is dead, Walt Disney is dead. Name somebody living that you can name in the same breath as them. Don't tell me about being likable," he continued. "We got a hundred years here. We're one race, the human race, we're a blip in the existence of the universe and we're constantly trying to pull each other down, not doing things to help each other...but I feel that I can make a difference while I'm here, I feel that I can make things better through my skill set. I’m an artist.”

Kanye also touched on his clothing line, and how his interest in fashion stems from his time as a child when he wanted cooler clothes.

"I would sit there with [President Barack] Obama, and Leo [DiCaprio]'s talking about the environment, and I'm talking about clothes, and everyone looks at me like that's not an important issue. But I remember going to school in fifth grade and wanting to have a cool outfit," he says. “I called the head of Payless, I'm like I want to work with you...I want to take away bullying.”

"I have to be Michael Jackson of apparel in order to break open the doors for everyone that will come after I'm gone, after I'm dead, after they call me wacko Kanye," he continued with total self-awareness, referencing the media-appointed moniker of the late Thriller singer. "Isn't that so funny that people point fingers at the people who have influenced us the most? They talk the most sh---t about the people who care the most."

He ended things with a non-apology, saying, "I'm sorry daytime television. I'm sorry for the realness."

Transcription could never do Kanye justice -- check out his full speech in the video above.